CALCINATION is the first of seven major
operations in the alchemy of transformation.

Chemically, the Calcination process involves heating a substance
in a crucible or over an open flame until it is reduced to ashes. In the Arcanum
Experiment, Calcination is represented by sulfuric acid, which the alchemists made from a
naturally occurring substance called Vitriol. Sulfuric acid is a powerful corrosive that
eats away flesh and reacts with all metals except gold.

Psychologically, this is the destruction of ego and our
attachments to material possessions. Calcination is usually a natural humbling process as
we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life, though it
can be a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris gained through a variety of
spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self-evaluation.

Physiologically, the Fire of Calcination can be experienced as
the metabolic discipline or aerobic activity that tunes the body, burning off excesses
from overindulgence and producing a lean, mean, fighting machine. Calcination begins in
the Base or Lead Chakra at the sacral cup at the base of the spine.

In Society, the Calcination is expressed in the
lives of
revolutionaries, conquerors, and other warriors who try to overthrow the status quo.

On
the Planetary level, it is the Fire of creation, the formation of a livable
environment from molten matter and volcanic ashes.

CORRESPONDENCES OF CALCINATION

According to the Emerald Tablet, "Its father
is the Sun." Element: Fire. Color: Magenta;
Purple-Red (color of this page).